By IANS,
Melbourne : Australian Stuart MacGill, who sprang a surprise by quitting international cricket midway through the West Indies series, said weariness of long-distance travelling coupled with his poor form forced him to take the decision.
Back home in Sydney, it was a sprightly spinner who explained how the drain of long-distance travel had contributed to his decision to quit Test cricket.
MacGill said he had been “licking his lips” ahead of the tour, about tormenting a Windies batting line-up minus Brian Lara, but he found himself not up to mark after the first Test.
“There’s no shame in wanting the best for your team, and that’s why it became apparent to me that if I was playing with things the way they were, I was only going to be doing it for me,” MacGill was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun.
Had his retirement been a personal decision, or was there pressure from chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch?
“(Hilditch) was very, very supportive. When I told him the news (of retirement) he gave me a hug. I don’t know if that’s pressure, but it’s certainly not the kind you were insinuating.”
Asked whether he felt embarrassed about abandoning the Australian team midway through the tour of the West Indies, MacGill said: “The embarrassment would have been if I had kept going.”
MacGill wants to play on for New South Wales, but is waiting for his body to give him that answer.
“I guess the next couple of months for me will be finding out whether or not I can keep playing at all,” he said.